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KRATOM: THE TRUTH. An Open Letter to the FDA

Dear FDA,

You have been quite busy running a strong offensive against Kratom, the primarily Indonesian plant that you have labeled time after time as dangerous because of its “opiate like” qualities. You have called it a threat by citing deaths and salmonella outbreaks and whatever you can get your hands on to make your point. You have already try to ban it at the federal level, and since that has gone nowhere, you are now gone state by state, bill by bill, making sure this plant ceases to see the light of day.

I ask myself the question: Why are you so adamant about making sure that Kratom stays out of reach? As a recovering addict I am truly concerned, because if Kratom is anything like Heroin or Oxycodone or Fentanyl, we really need to take action, and we need to do it quick. You better than anyone know that the opioid epidemic is reaching new levels of destruction in our country, and we must do whatever is necessary to prevent it from growing.

Drugs Ruin Lives – This is a fact, no other way around it. I myself was involved in a ten-year self-destructive cycle, where alcohol and benzodiazepines and cocaine almost killed me after ripping away everything that I held dear. After being able to break the chains of addiction, I began to advocate for others, knowing how important it is to support those that are still imprisoned within its walls.

It was through some of the relationships that I made that I first heard about Kratom, a natural alternative that more than 5 million people use to deal with opiate addiction withdrawals, chronic pain and even mental illness. After hearing the stories of many that have used Kratom for many years, something simply didn’t match up with your claims, and I became intrigued. Does Kratom ruin lives like the other hardcore drugs do? Is there a real risk of death and overdose? How bad do withdrawals get? Are people who use it putting themselves at risk?

YES – Should have been most of the answers to the questions above if I only took into consideration your claims and the effort you are putting forth to ban Kratom, efforts worth of the most dangerous drugs on the planet.

I continued my research to uncover the truth, to really understand what the dangers and benefits were, where the global scale of risk vs reward came in with Kratom. I knew the best way to do this was to go to the source, to talk to the users that have experience first hand what this plant does.

What I was expecting to find? People whose lives were ruined by Kratom, who had lost everything because of it just like I did, just like others have on Crack and Xanax and Oxycodone. I was expecting to find lonely children because their Kratom addicted parents left them to go on a binge, broken spouses because their partners are not who they were before, homeless people because their Kratom addiction would not let them perform their jobs anymore.

But, did I?

I went online and found a community of Kratom users that were willing to share their stories and experiences with me. I really wanted to unveil the dark truth, the one you have been pushing for years. But the Reddit Kratom community was helpful in showing me something else, something much more different than I ever expected. This is their testimony:

I found kratom through a friend about a month after hospitalization due to alcohol abuse. That was September 2016 and I haven’t had a drink since, and no cravings. This was after 15 solid years of heavy drinking and intermittent drug use. I take kratom everyday and I truly don’t know where I’d be without it.

Prior to Kratom, I struggled through ten years of pain management. Epidurals, interdisc steroid injections, fentanyl patches, Kadian, Oxy, etc – monthly visits, monthly drug screens – and deep depression as the drugs worked less and the pain occupied every thought. Many days I considered ending it, because what was left? Ugh. Heard about Kratom and scoffed. It’s a herb. If Oxy doesn’t help anymore, how is a herb going to help me? That was two years ago. My life is transformed. Honestly, I’m dumbfounded. Then I think about the tens of thousands I spent on doctor visits, medication, hospitalizations, lost time from work – it’s no wonder the bean counters are worried. They see the end of the gravy train.

Had back surgery in 1999. Recovery took two years and included many types of pain pills. I could not do anything when I was taking those pills. I could not drive and I could not work. I mostly just slept. When I finally weaned off the pills and started exercising and got back to work I went back to work full-time for 15 years as a teacher.

About three years ago my back pain started kicking in again but it was a little higher up. Turns out the discs above the surgery were now giving out. The pain was brutal and they immediately wanted to put me back on pills. I have to admit I did take a few but I immediately was looking for some other way to relieve pain.

I googled natural pain remedies. I found kratom. I did a lot of research on it, probably two months worth, before I actually tried it. I’ve been taking it for four years now and have not had to take one pain pill. I do have other tools though I do acupuncture, meditation, I use gels, heating pads, ice packs, exercises, back supports, you name it but everything has to be natural.

Like pills, I do not think kratom is the answer to my pain problems. Kratom just helps take the edge off and helps me manage my pain it does not cure anything. And it must be respected. But it’s given me some very good days back and I’m self-sufficient and living on my own and getting by just fine.

I guess I’ll share my story. I wasn’t a full blown addict, but I was on that path. Before kratom I had been abusing opiates for a couple years. The reason I say I wasn’t a full blown addict is because I realized that if I took breaks, my tolerance didn’t build up. So anyway, I did that for years until I found kratom. The months before i found it, I had stopped using opiates just to get high. I was using them because I started becoming very anxious. It was getting to the point where I didn’t even enjoy it anymore because of it. I started looking for alternatives because I knew what was going to happen if I kept taking opiates. That’s when I found out about kratom. I have been taking it for years now, and it helps so much with my anxiety. I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. Probably go back to opiates, and that’s what terrifies me.

In the years that I have been dealing with addiction and with addicts I have NEVER heard: “Cocaine saved my life”, or “Xanax makes me a better parent”, or “Heroin makes me a model employee” or “Crack makes my life extremely manageable”. Something with Kratom just doesn’t seem to fit the model of these hardcore drugs, the real danger to the communities of our great nation.

The truth is that Kratom is generally safe to use, and most of the people that do experience mostly benefits. There are those that have developed dependency after using it for some time, and quitting cold turkey can come with some slight withdrawals, including cold-like symptoms, irritability, lack of energy and in some cases anxiety. Experienced users advocate a “less is more” mentality with Kratom, and those that stick to their doses without unnecessarily increasing them have been able to enjoy the plant’s many benefits for years.

So, what could it be? What is the real reason behind your intense efforts of banning this seemingly beneficial plant? Could it be that you, the FDA, find yourself in the hands of Big Pharma, who sees Kratom as a danger, not to the community, but to their profits? I wonder if things go deeper than what they seem, if you are really telling us the entire truth. I have yet to know for sure, but I will keep digging, until I finally discover where that fishy smell is coming from.

Oh, and just so you know, I am now one of the more than 5 million Kratom users in this country, and I am very happy to be so.

55 Comments

I think kratom has a really goid place ,if people are taking it and moving and eating it is by far better than what the doctor gives people,and big pharm -shame on you, the lives that have been lost because you say its good ,pay me and take this pill sad and for the or representation this is 2018 people have had all they can take of you so called Health care forcing people to take even more pills ,people are sick from your medicine, and scandals. You made this mess,now people have took action and its there right to humanity ,force feeding them pills and hospitals overrun with morph addicts, that want to just have there pain eased,and didn’t ask for your precription of death in first place ,please show some respect.These are veterans, moms,dads,brothers and grandmother’s let the free of your drugs .they are making the first step ,eating leaves over taking pills.you have caused enough pain. It’s time you see,30,000 people dont just stand up and say look we need this if it didn’t work and better right now than what you have ever tried offering. Stand and be heard .#KratomChangesLives

Althea21 March 7, 2018 (5:26 pm)

I’m an addict and alcoholic and I lost everything, I almost lost my son because of it. I was broken I finally became sober 10 years ago. I saw online a veteran who was using kratom for pain and PTSD then another article about it as a weight loss supplement. Since I became sober I have gained weight and I have bipolar with anxiety so I thought I’d give it a try did some research. Well I have taken it for over a year I lost weight, I don’t take my klonopin 3x a day any more and to be honest I didn’t get an opiate high like I did when I was addicted so the FDA should leave it alone this all due to big Pharma because they’re losing money on opiates and benzodiazepines

Bryan Zautner March 7, 2018 (6:23 am)

Amazing article. I started using pot,acid, MDMA, Ketamin, benzos, and all opioid pain pills in high school. By graduation I was shooting cocaine and heroin! I was 18 in 1998, the year I graduated. After many inpatient rehabs,12 years in and out of methadone and Suboxone therapy, I was shown and educated about Kratom. I had also been in severe pain and anxiety causing car accidents, work accidents, and severe mental and physical trauma. I wanted to give up! 20 years of all those things, then I found the answer to all of my mental and physical problems. I was able to ween myself off of the horrible medicine I was talking. For the price of a day in a fancy rehab, I was off the opioid, benzo, blood pressure and muscle relaxers. I literally let them sit on my shelf, and only took kratom. I made a life out of nothing. I have my pain, anxiety, and diet on track. Just some leaves from a cousin of the coffee plant, and I was able to survive 20 years of hell. I am still a proud medicinal kratom user! I will fight to keep my right to this tree of the gods. It has changed my life in ways I cannot describe! I am a different, better, person because of this magic plant. Please don’t take such a wonderful gift away from the people of the United States. Or anywhere for that matter!!

Danny March 7, 2018 (6:51 am)

I am so glad to read ur story. I use kratom as a back pain reliever with great results n no side effects, unlike REAL opiates. I believe the FDA’s big campaign against kratom is all about money as usual. I think all the death story’s (which mostly involve benzos with the ktatom) and this Hugh salmonella outbreak stink of conspiracy theory.

Kim March 7, 2018 (7:20 am)

Kratos is very addictive just like opiates. Not to mention very expensive. Nobody talks about the expense. My son is addicted to it and spends 400.00 plus weekly. It’s is destroying our lives. I hope they ban it soon!

admin March 7, 2018 (9:15 am)

$400 in Kratom amounts to over 4 kilos on average. How is your son consuming 4 kilos of Kratom in a week? I am sorry but this is physically impossible. He may be lying to you and using the money of other, more expensive and dangerous drugs.

Wound Round March 7, 2018 (10:51 am)

$400?? That’s a bunch of crapp. Your son is obviously doing other things you don’t know about. 1 kilo=1,000 grams of kratom is only $90.00. Maybe you’d better drug test him, sounds like there are other issues there. Kratom is not addictive, I’ve been using it off and on for 6 years and no problems. $400 worth of Kratom would supply me for a year!

Chas Mclean March 7, 2018 (1:21 pm)

You could treat a heard of elephants for pain on what you say your son uses. In fact that is beyond plausible. Your son has worse problems that kratom. I’m a 60 year old man and I know a little bit about drug use. and kratom use. I think you are being conned by your son.

Pj March 7, 2018 (2:42 pm)

You have are issues and need to seriously educate yourself. What your son is spending $400 a week on certainly isn’t “kratom “, much less any misspelled version of it “kratos” as you called it. Sorry, but you are beyond any understanding of kratom, what it does and all it helps. I strongly suggest you check your son in somewhere to find out exactly what he IS abusing. There is absolutely NO way it’s kratom.

LORI a PITAS March 7, 2018 (3:12 pm)

Your facts can’t be correct. I’ve used Kratom for years. I havnt had 1 single negative experience with it. If your son is taking kratom with those side effects he is not telling you the truth. He’s up to something, he is doing drugs. Educate yourself,

#IAMKRATOM March 7, 2018 (3:43 pm)

Behind the Numbers — ProPublica
ProPublica › article › tylenol-mcneil-fda-…
Sep 20, 2013 · If all deaths caused by NSAIDs were counted, McNeil has argued, then those drugs could cause as many or more deaths per year than acetaminophen. … McNeil and other researchers have cited a 1999 study that “conservatively estimated” as many as 16,500 U.S. deaths a year were related to NSAIDS.

Mike March 7, 2018 (5:49 pm)

Lisa March 7, 2018 (7:17 pm)

There is no way in the world someone is paying 400 a week unless they are buying an ounce for 50.00 at a gas station or head shop. If it was being bought from a trusted vendor on line he would not spend even 50 a week. I spend 20.00

Sue Mcmanus March 8, 2018 (2:22 pm)

Bryan z March 9, 2018 (4:13 am)

Absolutely impossible. I’m sorry to ruin the great codependency between your son and you, but you physical could not even fit that volume and weight into your body in a day. Imagine five pounds of say.. alfalfa and that is LESS than your son claims to be taking!! Your body wold simply reject it. You would throw up, and lie down. If you are a real person, your son is on humongous amounts of dangerous narcotics, and trying to minimize the fact that he IS on a REAL narcotic. Probably cocaine and or heroin with that kind of money. Sorry, go focus on finding the truth,and helping him, not on a benign natural medicine helping 5 million people.

Lynn March 9, 2018 (12:15 pm)

Carey March 10, 2018 (9:14 am)

This is blatant misinformation, I am considered a “heavy” Kratom user and I spend 10 dollars a week. Kilos are anywhere from 45-100 dollars and even at the high end that would be over 4,000 grams in a week. It’s not physically possible. A kilo lasts most people over a month with daily use. Your lying unless “Kratos” is the new slang for heroin! Educate yourself and drug test your son. Stop spreading misinformation!!

Spot on. TRUTH, and fact funding letter. Thank you for taking the time to disband the false accusation news reporting on this herb that has saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, soles from Big Pharma overdoses, legal and taxed alcohol diseases and death, all while providing very effective pain relief. Because the FDA wants to make money while developing this plant into a synthetic form to be marketed as their own, the users of Kratom will suffer by its illegal status. While our nation is under an opioid epidemic and lengthy talks and funding for solutions are dragged out through the government, deaths are continuing to escalate, while right here under their noses is a “right now” solution that has been proven effective by its users. At what point do we put money and profit above human life?

Judie Plumley March 7, 2018 (7:57 am)

I am kratom. After the removal of transvaginal mesh, I was still in agony and did not know why. After months of pain, it was discovered I had a herniated disc, and it was bone on bone.
I had surgery to fix that and got MRSA in the OR. It was a horrible year, five more back surgeries followed. My spine broke in 2 places, and the tissue surrounding it liquefied. I was told they could fix it, but the pain would remain. I would be on narcotics the rest of my life.
My COBRA was going to out. It would be another year before I would get disability. This meant no more care for my broken body. I researched and found kratom. That was in 2015.
My illness left me with an onslaught of PTSD and major depression. I spent two years learning how to live in this body.
Kratom got me through the pain, the PTSD was being controlled enough for me to live everyday life, and though I still have major depression, I can function without pharmaceuticals.
The thought of this government banning kratom fills me with fear. I know, as my life goes on, I am going to suffer from more and more pain. I wonder how I am going to survive. I am no longer a candidate for surgery. They told me to never allow anyone to put a needle in my back, it would start the MRSA nightmare all over again.
I don’t do well with opiates and its like pulling hen’s teeth to get them now, and really, after going through PAWS for a year, I have no desire to use them.
I am in several pain support groups, several kratom groups and the stories are amazing. My government, on the other hand, approved the mesh that ripped through my insides like a serrated steak knife, and the hospital that gave me MRSA says the infection is an acceptable risk of surgery. My trust in the medical community is nil. Please, if you have an ounce of compassion for the millions of people who use this plant, leave our kratom alone.

Lisa March 7, 2018 (7:23 pm)

Hi Judie,
So sorry to hear about your back. My husband had many MRSA surgical site infections. He is a double amputee. You have to decolonize. You and every one in your family who lives in your household or you see a lot needs to take doxycycline, use the bactroban in nose, under armpits, in creases of groin and anal area for 14 days. Every one must use hibiclens to shower with for 14 days. My husband no longer carries MRSA. His infectious disease doctor is with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Louie Martelli March 7, 2018 (8:02 am)

Amen thank God for good journalism well written piece, I am taking kratom as well after 17 years of abuse of prescription drugs and heroin since I started taking kratom I have not looked back at any of that please keep up the fight for kratom I’ll keep you in my prayers. Faith, Hope, and Love always Louie Martelli

Lenny LaRocca March 7, 2018 (8:34 am)

IAM ANOTHER KRATOM SURVIVER.I ALSO SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN.I FOUND OUT ABOUT KRATOM 8 YRS AGO I PUT MY PAIN MEDS DOWN AND HAVE NOT TOUCHED THEM SINCE.I CAN GO ON ALL DAY ON HOW KRATOM HAS HELPED ME AND MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS BUT BUT I DON’T HAVE. ALL DAY. JUST READ THIS ARTICLE I COULDN’T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF..

Bobby March 7, 2018 (8:57 am)

I think it’s got to do with money , more people would probably be dead right now if it wasn’t for kratom , people who were on heroine and turn to kratom to get off and if kratom was banned they would be dead , the people who are trying to ban it don’t care if people die or not, I most drugs they mention do have serious danger if it’s still legal for example “spice” because people actually were dying and getting hurt” I have been taking kratom for over 5 years and I know for a fact the claims of people dying on it and the most biggest lie I think I have ever heard, and if they died they all had other drugs in them , u can’t die from a kratom overdose u will get bad side effects like dizziness,nausea, vomiting, but ur just not going to die from it , it’s just not possible , so my only conclusion is they want to get rid of it because they don’t want to lose money in some way and they don’t care of people go back to pills or heroine and more people die as long as money being made , do i know that’s the reason for a fact ?no , but it really feels that way, u can’t even get high on kratom so idk why on the news awhile back said it was a legal high and just like heroine they are full of shit , I know kratom very very well and what it does what each strain does , if they said it was legal u could literally give a 5 year old alittle bit and they would be fine , the 44 death claim is complete bullshit , Idk if the salmonella thing is true or not because that just started popping up , but kratom alone is just not dangerous enough to even bother trying to be banned it’s not even worth it, there shouldn’t even be a debate about trying to ban it unless it has something to do with money , I’m blown away by how hard they’re trying , because kratom should be the last drug on earth that they should be trying to ban.

Rebeck March 7, 2018 (10:30 am)

Kartom works plain and simple!if your lucky enough your state has medical marijuana.for me.the two work.my back is collapsing from compound fractures.and after being addicted from oxycotin (back surgeries)no more !!!!!need to keep the two natural painkillers legal….im also 62

Jeremiah Oliver March 7, 2018 (11:26 am)

I’m a alcoholic who’s life has changed from kratom, started about a year ago, started drinking over 20 years ago. Kratom has helped me to stay away from the booze tremendously! I stopped cold turkey while on vacation recently and noticed slight anxiety, like stopping coffee cold turkey but nothing as adverse as stopping alcohol cold turkey! When I return home I will probably pick up the kratom again for fear of returning to alcohol except this time with support, I’m afraid at the rate the fda and dea are moving kratom may become schedule 1, that means I can’t even ask for it by prescription. In the meantime anyone who knows how I can help fight the ban PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP!

Catherine Gajewski March 7, 2018 (11:30 am)

#IAMKRATOM March 7, 2018 (4:37 pm)

NSAIDS, alcohol, tobacco & caffeine plus acetaminophen carry far more risk than kratom! Teens die after ingestion of energy drinks. Adults take cold remedies, feel better, drink a few glasses of wine & die. Alcohol kills the drinker along with family and friends, other drivers… YouTube Challenges: cinnamon, fire, tide pods, water chugging. All of these result in deaths.

The government allows the public to risk death daily via over-the-counter:

Behind the Numbers — ProPublica
ProPublica › article › tylenol-mcneil-fda-…
Sep 20, 2013 · If all deaths caused by NSAIDs were counted, McNeil has argued, then those drugs could cause as many or more deaths per year than acetaminophen. … McNeil and other researchers have cited a 1999 study that “conservatively estimated” as many as 16,500 U.S. deaths a year were related to NSAIDS.

I’m facing 4 surgeries this year alone including a spinal stim to assist with pain management (almost an oxymoron). I was suffering in agony sans insurance, laying awake in pain with the only viable option being suicide. In the dark time, (only one awake at 3 am, muffling screams for the sake of sleepers) the thoughts of heroin seeped in because I was not depressed & wanted to live. I just wanted to live with bearable pain.
Then I watched a rerun of a debate on kratom. I ignored it the 1st run. I then began researching kratom. When I decided to give it a chance (knowing suicide would always be there & surely I could find some seedy character in some dangerous alley next week.)
The kratom worked! I was far from pain free but I was farther from that bullet loaded in that gun in my hand!! I received enough relief to sleep which allowed my body to perceive less pain.

I have never experienced any euphoria or high, maybe if I didn’t suffer in pain & used it for kicks my experience would be different?!?

I’ve been prescribed a small city’s share of pain pills, alcohol never killed pain for me & over-the-counters provide more fear of liver damage et al than relief.

There will always be a cross-section of people that will abuse any substance/activity etc. Addicts find their ___ of choice in drugs, sex, video games, social media, FOMO (fear of missing out), chocolate, alcohol, prescription meds, illicit drugs, tobacco, coffee, zero calorie diet “foods”, masturbation, the list is endless!
Why should I be thrust back into sleepless nights deciding between instant death by suicide or slower death by wandering into a world of crime via illicit drugs? Until kratom actually kills as many people as any NSAID, other drug or sugar I don’t want to be threatened with a ban.

This is the US of A, how about we let at least 1 person manage to die directly & solely due to kratom before a govt agency decides to fight to ban it? Why are they not studying it??!?!

Lynn March 9, 2018 (12:20 pm)

No it doesn’t! (Need to be regulated). Leave it alone! Every thing the FDA/govt touches gets ruined eventually. LEAVE THE PLANT ALONE! IT’S A PLANT! A GOD GIVEN HERB! Govt has no business sticking their nose in it.

Anonymously happy March 7, 2018 (11:32 am)

I am going to try and make this short and simple. I have had a fairly rough life. Depression, drugs, alcohol, even attempted suicide. I could get my hands on whatever I wanted and tried most things to self medicate. I fight with severe pain and depression. I have stopped all drugs and alcohol use. I take Prozac for my depression. Kratom is Illegal in my state but I was introduced to it by a friend and co-worker. I’ve been taking kratom for about a year on a daily basis. It has helped in every aspect of my life. Lack of energy, pain, depression are things of the past. I happily live my life now thanks to this terrible drug. I’m do not want to go back to my life before kratom. If something has to be done then focus on quality, regulated standards. Not on burying a thing that will hurt the drug companies. But focus on what will help the people.

KRATOM is truly something special. This comparison to herion & fentanyl is absolutely asinine. My goodness it’s complete ignorance with anyone who has truly experienced this Herbal Plant. I am a user of KRATOM but on a weekend warrior status & it has helped me with anxiety and stress. Basically just putting me on the whole Relaxation Euphoria feeling vibe. It’s no different than comparison of CBD OIL to Crack Cocaine or Herion. It’s just like WTF are you guys talking about. I also think the statement of all the deaths involved with KRATOM are bogus claims.

Lynn March 9, 2018 (12:23 pm)

TANGO 5/10: They know kratom is not bad. What they are doing is a classic Smear Campaign in order to drive the public’s perception to their favor (corralling the herd). It’s a Public Perception War. Get the public on your side and you win the War. Those who don’t use kratom and have never heard of it are being used as Pawns in their corrupt game of manipulation.

brooks ramsey March 7, 2018 (12:46 pm)

kratom gave me my life back. I was addicted to oxycodone for about 8 years. I would run out of my prescription within a week, and be forced to buy off the street for the rest of the month…. I was completely miserable for a very long time. I heard about kratom one day and figured it certainly can’t hurt to try… I had nothing else to lose at that point in my life… I was heading to prison for selling some of my medicine, so I could buy more with the profit. anyway, I was able to take the kratom twice a day, and for the first time ever, I didn’t hurt. it didn’t make things perfect, But it made it manageable. it gave me an out… it gave me the option for a normal life , and I took it! I’ve been clean from all drugs for a year and a half now! I have a great job, my family back, an awesome girlfriend. man, I have an amazing life today, and none of it would be possible without this plant.

James Gross March 7, 2018 (2:57 pm)

I have been disabled from an uncurable untreatable skin disease and was on pain medication for over a decade. Kratom got me off of up to 6 30mg roxycodones and 2 30mg time released morphines a day! It was like a great fog was lifted and i actually feel like i have my life back! I felt so much better I lost almost 80lbs and have been dealing with my disability much better. Kratom is being labeled as a super dangerous opiate but taking more and more wont really give you a bigger buzz. It basically has a ceiling of how much it will stimulate you. If you take a bunch it may make you nauseas or sick so whats the point. In my opinion the opposite of taking more opiates. Which makes it much easier to manage or discontinue using in my opinion. So dea and fda please listen to the 5 million people using kratom to better there lives instead of pointing them in the direction of heroin and feeding the war on drugs.

Well put, people. Except for that poor idiot whose son is soaking her for 400 bucks a week for “kratos”, this is the kind of information that needs to be put out there. Mainstream media seems reluctant to take a stand. Not difficult to figure out why.

Lynn March 9, 2018 (12:26 pm)

Jerusalem March 7, 2018 (3:32 pm)

The government’s well be done, because the people refuse ( out of personal, self fear of dieing by the hands of another, that has no qualms about subjugating and destroying another human, and known to eradicate everyone who refuses to submit to their well unquestionably ) stand up with such same force, so as to eliminate the tyranny their forefathers did not only warn about, but even gave the legitimate action to take, that tyranny not ever be able to manifest or sustain. The weak who fear only cry.

Ellen C March 7, 2018 (3:37 pm)

Another person who’s life was saved by kratom here. After years and years of prescriptions, including but not limited to 60mg oxycontin 2x daily, 10mg Percocet 3x daily and many others, I thankfully found Kratom. I have never looked back. Kratom gave me my quality of life back…I am present for my children now. I no longer am depressed. And most importantly the only prescriptions I take now are for high blood pressure. I am an active and contributing member of my household and society thanks to this plant. I pray it is not ripped away from me and from the millions of others who use it responsibly.

Here is a point that escapes most people: We will NOT all die without the FDA telling us what is and isnt safe. Though if you suggest getting rid of the FDA, or any government bureau, people look at you like you have a third eye, and dismiss you as stupid. Im sure the American Kratom community can plainly see that the FDA is either 1: completely corrupt, or 2: completely incompetent, or both. Bureaucracy is tyranny! and that is laid bare here; Nameless , faceless people controlling our lives , outside of any legislative process. If the FDA can be this wrong about Kratom, what else are they wrong about? Or for that matter what else are all federal bureaus wrong about. Think about it. Would we all kill ourselves by shoving bad food and or drugs into our mouths without the FDA. NO, we would not . We are all raised to think we need government over us to protect us. We have been so brainwashed that even a suggestion of scaling back any bureau is met with “obviously he is to dumb to know what he is talking about”, or “he must be a right wing government hating nut” No….I just happen to use the brain in my head to actually consider reason, logic, and sense. I dont trust any bureau, and the Kratom situation is just another example of the tyranny we all live under, and blindly accept.
I use kratom to ease pain SO I CAN WORK AND LIVE LIFE. I would no doubt be on a opiate regiment without Kratom. It makes me furious to no end to watch more liberty evaporate right in front of us. Even people who have never even heard of Kratom should be furious; but they arent. Just the same as most people dont care about any number of freedoms being taken away daily.

Nicole March 7, 2018 (4:43 pm)

Lynn March 9, 2018 (12:51 pm)

Diane March 7, 2018 (4:48 pm)

Kratom. It’s been soooo extremely helpful to me last 17 years I’ve have fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease,cervical spondylosis,anxiety,PTSD. 2016 car accident now have TBI. Throughout the years I’ve been given to try pill after pill. A few pills the medicine helps pain tiny bit, I tried Kratom. It’s been a miracle. Helps pain in my back&head pain that no pill ever has. Kratom is a plant,leaf. People like myself that takes this for pain relief & not abusing it. When people saying in articles there are deaths or people over use it… to me that’s just the world of an addict they will take anything..myself &others that aren’t addicts are not over using it, were using reasonably amounts&”IT HELPS”!!!

Kevin March 7, 2018 (5:37 pm)

It is awsome to see so many people stand together in this fight. Kratom helps me so much I cant even think of another way to say it better than whats already been said. I am 36 years old and with so much joint pain I cant sleep at night and that’s what destroys my family. The doctors saying I’m too young for this kind of pain or better yet a guess of different drugs to get hooked on?? No thank you. Kratom helps me everyday with just life. Being social, exercising, sleeping. My boss cant even keep up with me now because I do so much good for the company hes blown away. Kratom has saved this life for sure and I’m extremely scared if they get rid of it. The only reason they want it gone is to show who’s in control and they are butt hurt because they were first shut down going the Federal route. Taking this away will cause chaos and I know for sure my life will not be good if there aren’t any healthy options for pain.

Anthony Browning March 7, 2018 (5:40 pm)

I’ve been using Kratom for the past 13 years without any problems whatsoever. It has been a life saver for me in every sense of the word. Kratom has helped me have a normal life and prevented me from using illicit, dangerous substances. To ban this, in my honest opinion as a medical provider, will end up leading to more opioid related deaths. If anything, regulate it so the public knows exactly what they’re getting and so minimize the risk of adulterants.

Lisa March 7, 2018 (7:13 pm)

I am sorry but there is no possible way this guy is consuming 1 kilo a week never mind 4. This is insanity. I use under a half kilo a month. I no longer take pain meds. Instead if a pain pill every 4-6 hours I take a tsp of kratom. I no longer take muscle relaxers or gabapentin. I have stopped benzos as well. My pain has never been so well controlled. It does not produce a high. If anyone is looking for that and tries to consume too much, you will be vomiting and dizzy. You will not get high.

Kelli March 7, 2018 (7:51 pm)

I found kratom by accident, taking opiates for 2/3 years. I became tired of it controlling my life and also problems with my skin looking as if I was on some type of illegal drug (still) so i decided to research if others were experiencing the same thing online. While reading a blog, rite im the middle of this blog someone had a simple suggestion of chewing on a Kratom Leaf. I had never heard of kratom so from there I left the blog and began to research Kratom. An I’m glad i did. I was off and on pills and kratom when i would run out of pills (with in a week 1/2 to two week….. Sad!) I had a stroke while on my 20mg Oxy’s, I took for granted that if the dr prescribing was comfortable then all was good! I needed my life back, a mother of 5, trying my best to be a good wife and a normal person! I was only lying to my self. Taking more pills, caused more pain” running out early caused more stress, and made it very hard for my family to even want to be around me not only that but selling gold and silver or anything to support my habit to even borrowing money to steeling it… Ya, not where i wanted to be in life. I finally went full time on kratom and haven’t looked back! I have my life back! You can even ask my kids, im normal! Had i kept on the path of prescribed medication. .. Opiates… More than likely would not be here today. I don’t take it to get high ( that’s impossible) i don’t take it to feel good, i take it to feel like my self, i take it to control chronic pain from many reasons like DDD/ bad disk in my neck and lower back , arthritis, torn rotator cuff , fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome. I do not have heath insurance! I am so like many other’s where Kratom has changed my life! I don’t believe the lies From the CDC, i truly believe the FDA is running scared, money driven, and gee, someone needs to pay for those beach front property’s so lets ban kratom and turn everyone back to opiates or far worse to street drugs! Its unsettling, our own government wont listen to its own people! How you could fathom the thought of taking something so helpful to so many??? The people who have perished from kratom??? Seriously, we all know that’s not the culprit of death! And i sure would love to see the list of this so called Salmonella out break where the numbers don’t match up and honestly is in the worst form of fake news! Leave Kratom alone, we are not hurting anyone! We are normal working law abiding citizens, Parents, Grandparents, sisters n brothers in Kratom! You seriously need to consider more than you so called pocket books here!

Sue Mcmanus March 8, 2018 (2:29 pm)

I have had intractable pain since 7/2005 from whole body CRPS. I was bedridden and housebound since 2008 in spite of taking opioids, methadone, gabapentin and muscle relaxers. In June 2017, I took any prescribed medications for the last time and began Kratom. Since then, I have been able to sleep in a bed and get out of the house. My mind is clearing. I have been able to resume painting and writing. My life is back. I am back. If I ever have to quit Kratom, I am scared for my quality of life. I am afraid that I will be bedridden again.

That”s terrible if it”s true. It seems kind of convenient considering the FDA is on a path to banning kratom. Even the head of the FDA is politicizing the “outbreak on twitter. Kratom is the only reason I live a functional life. I”m finally off opiates so it seems like a sick joke that The government wants it banned. If you think think it”s for the safety of the public, you would be sadly mistaken. custom essay writing